Proof that the RIAA are evil incarnate.

[Sprocket]

http://www.cdfreaks.com/news2.php3?ID=4254

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-936527.html?legacy=cnet&tag=lthd

If that doesn't make a person change their mind about downloading Mp3's, I don't know what will.

[James]

I've said it before - I think the Record Companies use the Napster issue to shroud the failing music market. Something has to be to blame for the loss in sales - the Napsterite is a good target. Better than the poor choice of signs ups by the company.

I don't recall radio - which used to play full tracks that could be recorded onto tape - being such a concern. Strange that. In someways, Mp3's are a promotional tool. If the companies looked at the power to harness the benefits of the software rather than fight it they may be in a better place.

I also find the way the hide behind the issue of protecting the artist's interests. Not worrying about loss of sales.

They should aim at utilizing the MP3 market, and perhaps trying to do something to album/single releases which set the apart from the Mp3's. This court battle just seems to go no where.

As for the battle to protect CD's... I'm glad the personal rights to create back ups is being maintained. If they are so in favour of making protected disks - perhaps they should think of sending out a second copy to buyers for a back up???

[Mackenzie Rainelle]

Most of what I download isn't even covered by the RIAA anyway because it's from out of the country. Mostly stuff from France or Japan that you can't even get here without having to have it imported.

[Rei]

I've also said this before. Getting rid of one p2p program does absolutely nothing. What happened when they got rid of Naptser? No one cared and moved on to KaZaA/Morpheus and Audiogalaxy. Get rid of them people will just move onto to something else like Bearshare or IMesh. They can close down as many as they want but it won't do a damn thing. The reason their sales suck is because like SJJ said they pick up horrible people. How many pop stars can we listen to before people say enough.

And companies want royalties for sale of used cds? Try and get them and tell me how that goes.

Companies get sued because of their incredbley stupid idea of perfect cd protection. I could see it now: "Let's make cd that can't be played at all on computers, gaming machines, and even devices MADE TO PLAY CDS. But we all it a form of cd protection so everything will be fine." Then it gets overridden by a sharpe on the sides. Good to know all this time was put into copy proof cds.

[GrayGhost]

I use to have about 800 cds and sold about 80% of my collection used on half.com last year so they won't be getting anything from me anytime soon if they decided to do that. They have severe problems.

I agree, they use Napster as such a crutch. Even before Napster you could get mp3s off usenet and all over the IRC. There will always be a way to get mp3s and even if they continue the cds that dont play in computer cd-roms, if someone has time, they can just hook up their cd player to the sound in on their computer. there is always a way.

maybe if they lowered the prices for cds more people would buy them. i mean when i go into a store and see one for $17.99 or $19.99 I say no. i won't pay more than $15, which i still think is too much so i only buy "must have" cds.

[Nightwing]

Oh boy! Nothing ticks me off more than when a company/industry is making it's money with the greed streak, and then when sales start slipping they get mad it doesn't work anymore, and look for scapegoats. Truly truly a sad moment, cuz this is one of those times that makes you wanna say, "boy I hate people..." :p

Thanks to those MP3 they made a sale, and don't be suprised if it's NOT one of those regular bubble headed Britney Spears type pop starts. Admittedly I haven't yet, but thanks to the downloading I've done I've decided I want to by Pink's latest album. The singles have been really great so far. And it usually takes two REALLY good songs for me to buy an album, and she's had three for me so far.

AND for my birthday I got a CD burner. I plan on using it to condense my CD collection a bit, because the jerk record industry charges us 20 bucks for your average CD that has only like one decent song on it (hint: that's one of the main reasons why we hate you so much :p).

I may not have installed the thing yet but I'm still a potential threat! Book me Danno!

[Mackenzie Rainelle]

Originally posted by Nightwing

AND for my birthday I got a CD burner. I plan on using it to condense my CD collection a bit, because the jerk record industry charges us 20 bucks for your average CD that has only like one decent song on it (hint: that's one of the main reasons why we hate you so much :p).


And it's even more of a pain to get anything that's not available in the country. The "Rebirth" CD by Gackt Job cost me 30 bucks to have imported, then I found almost every song online for download.

[RogueMartian]

Music companies are just greedy, end of story. I've been selling old CDs that I don't listen to for ages. I sell them to friends, relatives, pawn shops, for less than a third of what I paid for them. And that was before I had a chance to back them up. Now, If i haven't listened to a CD in two years, I back it up onto my computer and get rid of it. Its my CD, I paid for it, and I can sell it, burn it, or keep it. Trying to get commission for used CDs is like one person said on that page "like chrysler trying to get money for used cars sold"

The fact is, I rarely even buy CDs anymore. I listen to the radio, and most of the time the music is several years old (and this is on the contemporary stations). Music is so bad, DJs rarely play new music. I hear Nirvana and Smashing pumpkins more often than I hear ANYTHING new. So why should I go out and spend 15-20 dollars on a CD that I don't know about (unless I've checked out the MP3s) and most likely has only 2 or fewer good songs on it.

If the record industry wants to make more profit they are going to have to realize that this isn't the 60s. There is no one band that every culture in america likes. So more (and preferably better) bands are going to have to be found to please all the groups.

[SonGoku V3]

Originally posted by Mackenzie Rainelle


And it's even more of a pain to get anything that's not available in the country. The "Rebirth" CD by Gackt Job cost me 30 bucks to have imported, then I found almost every song online for download.

ugh....don't tell me about Japanese Imports! I'd LOVE to get my hands on a J-Pop CD(Hikki, Ken Hirai, MoMusu, it doesn't matter), but it costs so much money that I can't even buy it, so I have no other choice but to rely on mp3s! If music stores, radio, and the record industry in general just made ALL TYPES of music accessible(not just "O-syncstreet degrees", "Puddle of Nickelcreedbizkit", and CashMoneyPaperBenjaminsCheeseHoes), then record sales wouldn't be on the decline, radiostations wouldn't be losing listeners, and the internet might not even be necessary, but NO! They don't want to give us what we like, no matter HOW MUCH WE TELL THEM! It's time for the music industry to change, either accept this new way of getting music and adapt to it, or change the way they are selling music; lower prices, give the consumer more options than just what's played on MTV(or in America for that matter). If they can't do that, then the decline in sales will continue, no matter what they do to cds and P2P sites.

[Feslmogh]

From MSNBC... (http://www.msnbc.com/news/769037.asp?0si=-&cp1=1#BODY)

AOL offers 99-cents MP3 downloads

Promotion aimed at generating hype for artists’ albums

By Jim Hu


June 18 — AOL Time Warner has begun selling songs encoded in the unprotected MP3 format as a way to promote unreleased tracks from some of its most popular artists. America Online, Warner Music Group’s corporate cousin, last week began offering 99 cent downloads of music from artists such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Missy Elliott, Jewel and Brandy.

IN ALL, AOL plans to offer 15 songs at that price.
The promotion marks the first time Warner Music has teamed with AOL Music to offer songs in the unprotected MP3 format. The major record labels have routinely dismissed MP3 because of its ability to be used, copied and distributed onto many different mediums without any copy protection. Nevertheless, consumers have turned the format into a default standard for music files because of its universal ability to be downloaded onto digital devices or burned onto CDs.


“We’ve been experimenting with the 99 cent download for a while, and over time we continue to refine our offerings in an effort to see how consumers will react to different models and promotions,” Warner Music spokesman Will Tanous said.
The sale highlights another example of the much-vaunted cross-promotions that were hyped as the beneficial by-product of the 2001 merger of AOL and Time Warner. Such agreements, however, have forced AOL Time Warner to find common ground between the protective music industry and the more vanguard actions of technology and new media.
Advertisement





Other companies are looking for a balance between enforcing their copyrights and giving tech-savvy consumers what they want. Vivendi Universal, for example, last month put a 99 cent price tag on an unprotected MP3 version of a new single. Since then, the media conglomerate’s Universal Music Group has said it plans to slash prices on numerous downloads of singles and albums, albeit with digital rights management technology provided by Liquid Audio. Sony Music Entertainment is also cutting prices and adding features to its downloads.


Regardless of such efforts, the market for charging people any amount for music files remains uncertain, given the popularity of file-swapping services such as Morpheus, Kazaa and Grokster that offer a wider selection of songs that can be downloaded for free. The recording industry’s legal battles have lead to the closure of file-swapping pioneer Napster; the labels now are suing other services including Morpheus and Grokster.
Warner Music’s Tanous said the promotion is one test of whether the label can use AOL and MP3 technology to generate hype for a new album. Since the files being sold online are unreleased tracks, the MP3s will not cut into CD sales, he said. Rather, they will give listeners the flavor of new albums.
“Since these tracks are being made available in conjunction with the release of the artists’ latest albums, we’re hopeful that the downloads will help generate even more interest in the current releases,” Tanous said.

Copyright © 1995-2002 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved

[DougGoneMAD]

I'm gonna punch the RIAA in the face. :mad:

[Andy Mancini]

Originally posted by LilSonGoku
If music stores, radio, and the record industry in general just made ALL TYPES of music accessible(not just "O-syncstreet degrees", "Puddle of Nickelcreedbizkit", and CashMoneyPaperBenjaminsCheeseHoes), then record sales wouldn't be on the decline, radiostations wouldn't be losing listeners, and the internet might not even be necessary, but NO! They don't want to give us what we like, no matter HOW MUCH WE TELL THEM!
Damn right. The solution (outside abandoning radio all together in favor of MP3s, which I load quite often): SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FREE FORM RADIO STATION! We have a great one here in Pittsburgh (91.3 WYEP). Where else can you hear the Jurrasic 5, REM, Theme to Batman (the movie one), Pearl Jam, some lady singing in French, and Rufus Wainright all in a row?

[Fallout Boy]

You can blame the RIAA and the record industry for a lot of things, but please don't try and say it's their fault when you buy a CD and only the radio single is good. For at least a few years now, you could go to amazon or cdnow.com and listen to sample clips of a CD before buying it. And now you can do that in the record store.

So yeah, prices are too high. Yes, too many no-talent acts get signed and promoted while genuine talent gets buried. Yes, artists get the shaft from the record industry.

But yes, you are still responsible for making informed CD purchases.

[Mackenzie Rainelle]

I think Billy Joel describes the music business best:

The Entertainer

I am the entertainer and I know just where I stand
Another serenader and another long haired band
Today I am your champion, I may have won your hearts,
But I know the game, you'll forget my name,
And I won't be here in another year
If I don't stay on the charts

I am the entertainer and I've had to pay my price
The things I did not know at first I learned by doing twice
But still they come to haunt me, still they want their say
So I've learned to dance with a hand in my pants, I let 'em rub my neck
And I write 'em a check, and they go their merry way

I am the entertainer, been all around the world
I've played all kinds of palaces and laid all kinds of girls
I can't remember faces, I don't remember names
But what the hell, you know it's just as well
'Cause after a while and a thousand miles
It all becomes the same

I am the entertainer, I bring to you my songs
I'd like to spend a day or two but I can't stay that long
I got to meet expenses, I got to stay in line
Got to get those fees to the agencies
And I'd love to stay but there's bills to pay
So I just don't have the time

I am the entertainer, I've come to do my show
You've heard my latest record, it's been on the radio
It took me years to write it, they were the best years of my life
It was a beautiful song but it ran too long
If you're gonna have a hit you gotta make it fit
So they cut it down to 3:05

I am the entertainer, the idol of my age
I make all kinds of money when I go on the stage
You see me in the papers, I've been in the magazines
But if I go cold, I won't get sold
I get put in the back in the discount rack
Like another can of beans

I am the entertainer and I know just where I stand
Another serenader and another long haired band
Today I am your champion, I may have won your hearts,
But I know the game, you'll forget my name,
I won't be here in another year
If I don't stay on the charts